For the residents of the Qaziabad locality in Noshki, Balochistan, the last few days have felt like a nightmare that won't end. What began as a high-stakes military standoff has now turned into a scene of dust and debris as the Pakistan Army uses heavy machinery and explosives to flatten entire structures.Why the Demolitions? The timing isn't accidental. This "cleansing" of the neighborhood comes right after Operation Herof, a massive coordinated attack by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on January 31. During that clash, militants reportedly seized parts of Noshki for days. Now, the military appears to be clearing a "buffer zone" around sensitive installations, including the ISI headquarters.Collective Punishment? Among the buildings destroyed was the ancestral home of BLA chief Bashir Zeb Baloch. While the military claims they are targeting "militant hideouts," locals and human rights groups tell a different story. They describe it as "collective punishment"—destroying the homes of anyone even remotely suspected of political dissent or separatist ties.The Deadline of Fear It’s not just the houses already gone; it’s the ones still standing that are causing the most anxiety. Officials have reportedly served eviction notices to families living near the intelligence compounds, giving them a strict timeframe to pack their lives into bags and leave. The message is clear: once the clock runs out, the bulldozers move in.Life Under Curfew To make matters worse, a strict curfew remains in place from 6 p.m. every evening. Locals claim that security forces are using these restrictions as leverage, allegedly telling residents that the "pressure" will only ease if they organize pro-state rallies and hoist Pakistani flags on their rooftops.In a region already bleeding from decades of conflict, these latest images of smoking ruins and displaced families add a grim new chapter to the Balochistan story.
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